More than eight miles of uninterrupted beach path, at least 16 miles round-trip.

If that's not enough for you, heck, do it twice.

The Huntington Beach, well, beach path is Orange County's granddaddy of beach paths. It may not have the natural beauty of the paths in South County nestled at the base of towering cliffs, but the H.B. path rocks.

Literally.

Pick a random weekend and chances are there's a surf contest going on with big speakers blasting the beat. If not, there are plenty of personal boom boxes along the way that offer the range of tastes in our county, everything from country to hip-hop.

But it's not really about the music, is it? It's about connecting with one of the biggest reasons why we live in Orange County.

Yes, it's the majesty of the ocean, the reason why Earth is called the water planet.

WEST OF PIER

I recently divided my visit to Huntington Beach's path in two parts, northwest of the pier and southeast of the pier. Both areas have distinctly different personalities.

Let's head north first. Why? It's more about nature. And there's also Dog Beach – with real doggies.

The path splits in two starting at 11th Street. One path is on a grassy bluff that separates the sandy beach from Pacific Coast Highway. The other is right along the sand. The two paths merge around Goldenwest Street, split apart later and then re-merge.

Dog Beach starts at 21st Street and extends west to Seapoint Avenue. The nonprofit group DogBeach.org, that helps keep the beach open to furkids reports that there are two parking areas with electronic meters that service Dog Beach. They accept credit cards and charge $1.50 an hour.

There are free dog poop bags, but help out the group and bring your own. Then leave the path and hit the beach.

I'm not a big fan of running on sand. Soft sand feels like you're treading in quick sand. On the wet firm sand close to the water, the beach tilts and so do I.

But I make an exception at Dog Beach.

'BAD-BOY SURFERS'

Past Dog Beach, the path follows Bolsa Chica State Beach. My favorite quote about this area – and it's posted on the California Department of Parks and Recreation official website – is that the area boasts "more fire pits than Fiji."

Here's another quote from the parks department, which credits John McKinney's "Day Hiker's Guide to California's State Parks": "Huntington Beach still has rough edges, including bad-boy surfers and shoulder-to-shoulder oil wells."

I'll go along with bad-boy surfers – if they add bad-boy columnists. But shoulder-to-shoulder oil wells are a bit of an exaggeration.

By the time you reach Warner Avenue, you've traveled about five miles from the pier. You can either turn around or cross Warner and wind your way through Bolsa Chica Wetlands, finding your way across PCH at a crossing light and go back to the path.

Best time? Sunset.

EAST OF PIER

Heading southeast from the pier, there is more beach-close parking and more beach-goers compared to northwest of the pier. Here, it's all about people watching.

Larger crowds make it especially important that cyclists keep in mind that the maximum speed limit is 10 mph when no pedestrians are present, and 5 mph otherwise.

Road bikes are cool. But this is beach cruiser time.

Soon, the city beach merges into the lower portion of Huntington State Beach. Despite plenty of surfers and families, this area also is reportedly a nesting sanctuary for two birds, the endangered California Least Tern and the threatened Snowy Plover.

Despite the birds, there's a giant steaming power plant on the PCH side. It's impossible to ignore, so enjoy the contrast between pristine ocean and having electricity.

Farther along, you'll come across two bridges, the second marks the Santa Ana River and the end of the beach path. But you can continue by taking the path under PCH and upriver.

OTHER AMENITIES

There are plenty of water fountains and bathrooms along the path, places to buy food and drink and rental facilities for cruiser bicycles as well as bike buggies.

State and city crews work graveyard shifts to keep the area beautiful. City officials explain this includes "raking the sand, sweeping bike paths and parking lots, blowing sand off steps, corners and sidewalks."

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